When the Alabama Football offense takes the field on Saturday night, it’ll face its most challenging test of the season against a ferocious and talented Georgia defense.
It will take the Crimson Tide’s best overall effort of the season to find sustained success offensively. Georgia presents unique challenges with a defense built in Nick Saban’s image, and Kirby Smart will scheme to take away what Alabama wants to do.
There are a lot of things Alabama has to do for things to go right on Saturday, but these three things are the most important:
3. Sustained Drives
The biggest criticism of the Alabama offense since Jalen Milroe took over as the team’s starting quarterback last year is that the offense has been too boom-or-bust. When it’s booming, it’s the most explosive offenses in country. But too often it busts in between, with Alabama either hitting a long touchdown or stringing together three-and-outs.
Against Georgia, a team that likes to run the ball and control the clock, it’ll be paramount for Alabama to have some sustained drives of their own so as to not tire out the defense. The defense can only hold up so long against a phyiscal team like Georgia if they are on the field for so long.
So while the big plays are important and necessary, it’ll also be important for Alabama to impose its own will. In order to have those sustained drives, Alabama will need to…
2. Run The Football
With a fully healthy offensive line, and a three-headed rushing attack led by Milroe and running backs Jam Miller and Justice Haynes, Alabama has the ability to be one of the best rushing offenses in the country.
Georgia’s defense has not been its vintage self against the run so far. Georgia gave up 170 yards to Kentucky, and struggled to get off the field as a result, finding themselves in an unexpected dogfight in Lexington.
The Bulldogs rank 27th in the country in yards-per-carry allowed, and are allowing a 47% success rate on early downs. They haven’t been bad against the run, but it’s been a bit of a culture shock to see the bully get bullied a little.
Alabama has a big, talented offensive line that will be a much more difficult challenge than what Georgia has faced thus far. If Alabama can win the line of scrimmage and establish the running game, it’ll open up everything else they want to do.
